Kashmir saffron: the most expensive spice ever

Kashmir saffron is one of the most popular spice ever not only because of its high cost but also because of the aroma and quality of taste that it adds to the dishes on which it is used. Apart from is value and expensive cost, it is also very difficult to obtain because it take around 150,000 crocuses flowers to extract around 35 ounces of best quality saffron in Kashmir. Iran is said to be the largest producer of saffron and it also has the largest plantation of saffron, which cater nearly to 85 percent of the world’s demand alone. Moreover, there are other countries also that are contributing to the production of saffron like India, Spain and Greece. It is said to be the oldest herbs to be utilized for different purposes such as cooking and for medical purposes also. Europeans are said to be the first to experiment in their cooking styles by using saffron. In the Asian sub continents, saffron is used for conducting many religious ceremonies.
These all features and uses make saffron the most expensive spice in the world but there are certain problems that many face while trying to buy quality saffron. It is because of its multiple purposes and its high monetary value many of the market entities have started indulging in mal-practices that include selling low quality saffron on high costs. This is the reason why one should be very careful while purchasing saffron. The quality saffron will always be deep orange red color and the aroma will be unique that one can feel while opening a can itself. Although the saffron is a very valuable spice but its quality can be easily compromised by adding different substitutes that have similar appearances and tastes, while some of the materials are being dyed in the same color as that of the original saffron. Some of the original quality saffron has a mixture of both red and yellow color in the strands that represent its genuine quality. There are several factors that one should consider while purchasing saffron from outside.
There are many dealers around the world that promise to provide quality saffron but a person should confirm whether the dealer can guarantee you about its quality and you yourself can also judge its quality by following some of the above-mentioned measures and also by searching the internet about quality saffron and its attributes.